In Part 5 of Ragtag Production's 5 part series "My Future Girlfriend," Clark has made his choice, now he's got to figure out how to get the girl. Stars Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera, Kirsten Scoles, Patrick Cohen and Brigitte Hagerman. Written by Steven Tsapelas. Directed by Brian Amyot. Produced by Brian Amyot, Steven Tsapelas, Patrick Cohen, George Tsapelas and Angel Acevedo. From the creators of "We Need Girlfriends." Features original music from Dan Ingala of Plushgun. See more of Ragtag at www.ragtagfilms.net
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
My Future Girlfriend - Part 4
In Part 4 of Ragtag Production's 5 part series "My Future Girlfriend," Clark chooses Lisa over Kelly, and now everyone must come together to save the future. ;Stars Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera, Kirsten Scoles, Patrick Cohen and Brigitte Hagerman. Written by Steven Tsapelas. Directed by Brian Amyot. Produced by Brian Amyot, Steven Tsapelas, Patrick Cohen, George Tsapelas and Angel Acevedo. From the creators of "We Need Girlfriends." Features original music from Dan Ingala of Plushgun. CHECK BACK FOR PART 5 ON May 6th!!!!! www.myfuturegirlfriend.com
Thursday, April 21, 2011
My Future Girlfriend - Part III
In Part 3 of Ragtag Production's 5 part series "My Future Girlfriend," Clark has a date with destiny...present day Kelly. Stars Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera, Kirsten Scoles, Patrick Cohen and Brigitte Hagerman. Written by Steven Tsapelas. Directed by Brian Amyot. Produced by Brian Amyot, Steven Tsapelas, Patrick Cohen, George Tsapelas and Angel Acevedo. From the creators of "We Need Girlfriends." Features original music from Dan Ingala of Plushgun. CHECK BACK FOR PART 4 ON APRIL 29th!!!!! www.myfuturegirlfriend.com
Friday, April 15, 2011
My Future Girlfriend - Part II
In Part 2 of Ragtag Production's 5 part series "My Future Girlfriend," Clark meets Kelly, a beautiful and mysterious girl, who has information about the future. Stars Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera, Kirsten Scoles, Patrick Cohen and Brigitte Hagerman. Written by Steven Tsapelas. Directed by Brian Amyot. Produced by Brian Amyot, Steven Tsapelas, Patrick Cohen, George Tsapelas and Angel Acevedo. From the creators of "We Need Girlfriends." CHECK BACK FOR PART 3 ON APRIL 22ND!!!!! www.myfuturegirlfriend.com
Monday, April 11, 2011
"My Future Girlfriend" Full Trailer
The full trailer for Ragtag's new five-part webseries "My Future Girlfriend." Stars Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera, Kirsten Scoles, Patrick Cohen and Brigitte Hagerman.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
My Future Girlfriend - Part I
In Part 1 of Ragtag Production's 5 part series "My Future Girlfriend," Clark meets Lisa, a beautiful girl with something to hide. Stars Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera, Kirsten Scoles, Patrick Cohen and Brigitte Hagerman. Written by Steven Tsapelas. Directed by Brian Amyot. Produced by Brian Amyot, Steven Tsapelas, Patrick Cohen, George Tsapelas and Angel Acevedo. From the creators of "We Need Girlfriends." CHECK BACK FOR PART 2 ON APRIL 15TH!!!!! www.myfuturegirlfriend.com
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
FAQ about MFG
While looking through the questions, comments and emails about our new webseries, "My Future Girlfriend," I've noticed several questions popping up. I will do my best to answer them here...
1) Is this a sequel to "We Need Girlfriends"?
No. The titles are similar and some of the themes are similar (single guy wants girlfriend), but it is completely different from "We Need Girlfriends" and, often times, is in a different genre from "We Need Girlfriends." Yes, Patrick "Tom" Cohen is in this one too, but you'll soon see he plays the opposite of Tom.
2) Why aren't Rod and Henry in this?
Again, this is not a sequel to WNG. At the time we made this, Rod, Henry, Tom and "We Need Girlfriends" were the property of Sony Pictures and CBS, so we legally could not include them in this series. We were also living in North Hollywood which looks very different from Queens, New York.
3) What happened to WNG at CBS?
After a long, long development process, WNG and CBS parted ways. ("Parted ways" is Hollywood speak for "They decided they didn't want to make the show anymore because the guys were too wimpy and not full of tiger blood.")
4) Do you own the rights to WNG again?
If we had an agent, our agent could probably answer that question. Oh, wait, we have an agent. We asked him. He said, "I'll get back to you." It's been a year. If you hear from our agent, please let us know. We at Ragtag are INCREDIBLY worried about him.
5) If you own the rights again, would you do another WNG?
Perhaps. Right now, the three principle actors and the three members of the creative team are all spread across the country. Plus, we all liked how the show ended, and would have to come up with something pretty darn good to want to revisit it. It might happen one day but, as of now, don't hold your breath. Patrick Cohen is about to appear on "Community" and I'm sure his quote will go up. :)
6) What happened to that one show "I Live With My Parents"?
We made two episodes of "I Live With My Parents" to secure funding for more episodes. Everything Ragtag has produced, including WNG and MFG, has been self-funded. We didn't get sponsorship from Icee Pops or Bagel Bites. We just happen to eat a lot of Icee Pops and Bagel Bites and since they were around they became props. Since no one bit on ILWMP, we decided not to make anymore episodes.
7. What took MFG so long to come out!?
"My Future Girlfriend" just ended up being a lot more complicated than our previous shows. It has a score (by Dan Ingala), special effects (by Jeff Billings), incredible titles (by Harty Durfor), lovely cinematography and color correction (again, Billings), and a professional sound mix (by Evan Menning and Chris Hall). This has made "My Future Girlfriend" our best looking and sounding production yet but, since we can't afford to pay anyone, and everyone is kindly and generously donating their free time, things take a little longer. Still, we think you'll love the finished product!
8. Is this a big April Fool's Joke?
We really wouldn't go to the trouble of funding and producing a five-part webseries JUST to trick everyone. Promise!
Anything else?
1) Is this a sequel to "We Need Girlfriends"?
No. The titles are similar and some of the themes are similar (single guy wants girlfriend), but it is completely different from "We Need Girlfriends" and, often times, is in a different genre from "We Need Girlfriends." Yes, Patrick "Tom" Cohen is in this one too, but you'll soon see he plays the opposite of Tom.
2) Why aren't Rod and Henry in this?
Again, this is not a sequel to WNG. At the time we made this, Rod, Henry, Tom and "We Need Girlfriends" were the property of Sony Pictures and CBS, so we legally could not include them in this series. We were also living in North Hollywood which looks very different from Queens, New York.
3) What happened to WNG at CBS?
After a long, long development process, WNG and CBS parted ways. ("Parted ways" is Hollywood speak for "They decided they didn't want to make the show anymore because the guys were too wimpy and not full of tiger blood.")
4) Do you own the rights to WNG again?
If we had an agent, our agent could probably answer that question. Oh, wait, we have an agent. We asked him. He said, "I'll get back to you." It's been a year. If you hear from our agent, please let us know. We at Ragtag are INCREDIBLY worried about him.
5) If you own the rights again, would you do another WNG?
Perhaps. Right now, the three principle actors and the three members of the creative team are all spread across the country. Plus, we all liked how the show ended, and would have to come up with something pretty darn good to want to revisit it. It might happen one day but, as of now, don't hold your breath. Patrick Cohen is about to appear on "Community" and I'm sure his quote will go up. :)
6) What happened to that one show "I Live With My Parents"?
We made two episodes of "I Live With My Parents" to secure funding for more episodes. Everything Ragtag has produced, including WNG and MFG, has been self-funded. We didn't get sponsorship from Icee Pops or Bagel Bites. We just happen to eat a lot of Icee Pops and Bagel Bites and since they were around they became props. Since no one bit on ILWMP, we decided not to make anymore episodes.
7. What took MFG so long to come out!?
"My Future Girlfriend" just ended up being a lot more complicated than our previous shows. It has a score (by Dan Ingala), special effects (by Jeff Billings), incredible titles (by Harty Durfor), lovely cinematography and color correction (again, Billings), and a professional sound mix (by Evan Menning and Chris Hall). This has made "My Future Girlfriend" our best looking and sounding production yet but, since we can't afford to pay anyone, and everyone is kindly and generously donating their free time, things take a little longer. Still, we think you'll love the finished product!
8. Is this a big April Fool's Joke?
We really wouldn't go to the trouble of funding and producing a five-part webseries JUST to trick everyone. Promise!
Anything else?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
behind-the-scenes of a super secret upcoming "my future girlfriend" promo.
This week, the gang and I contacted the members of an old gang of ours and asked them to very kindly shoot a scripted promo for "My Future Girlfriend." Since they're in New York and we're in Los Angeles, I had to direct this promo via webcam as they shot it on a flipcam. Why am I being so secretive about the participants? Watch and see...
Monday, February 22, 2010
A Fighting Weekend
We had another long, but fantastic, weekend of shooting on "My Future Girlfriend" and really we could not be happier with the stuff we got! We spent Saturday in M Bar, shooting some very important scenes that we'll pick up and shoot the next half of next week. We also shot a FIGHT SCENE (special thanks to America Young) and if you'd like you can see how we prepped in our apartment on Friday night...
Then, yesterday, we stole a bunch of night exteriors (Ragtag rolls with no permits) and even lit some outdoor stuff and THAT looks incredible as well.
Of course, we can't do this alone. We have an incredibly hard-working bunch of talented actors and crew members who show up no matter what the circumstances. Take Cheryl Texiera, for instance, who showed up on Saturday having not slept the night before (due to work) but came ready for a fight scene. Or Chris Hall, who is working hard on a big budget movie (which we can't mention), got sick on Friday night, but STILL showed up on Saturday morning. Honestly, they are troopers and we're so lucky to have them. We also had a few extras show up on Saturday who hung tight while we figured out some complex shots and scenes and we owe THEM big time too.
Finally, yesterday, while we were running around, we'd leave a couple of actors behind depending on what we were shooting. When I popped my Flip Cam into my computer last night, I found this video...
Then, yesterday, we stole a bunch of night exteriors (Ragtag rolls with no permits) and even lit some outdoor stuff and THAT looks incredible as well.
Of course, we can't do this alone. We have an incredibly hard-working bunch of talented actors and crew members who show up no matter what the circumstances. Take Cheryl Texiera, for instance, who showed up on Saturday having not slept the night before (due to work) but came ready for a fight scene. Or Chris Hall, who is working hard on a big budget movie (which we can't mention), got sick on Friday night, but STILL showed up on Saturday morning. Honestly, they are troopers and we're so lucky to have them. We also had a few extras show up on Saturday who hung tight while we figured out some complex shots and scenes and we owe THEM big time too.
Finally, yesterday, while we were running around, we'd leave a couple of actors behind depending on what we were shooting. When I popped my Flip Cam into my computer last night, I found this video...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
rainy weekend
Yesterday, "My Future Girlfriend" went on location, shooting some pivotal scenes on the streets of Los Angeles. (Note: Try not to shoot on Ventura Boulevard, as people love to honk and yell things at film crews)
We also had our first indoor location - ComicSmash! on Ventura Boulevard! This provided us with a beautiful location that distracted us to no end because of the toys, comics and statues that were calling our names. Check out this brief video...
Right now, however, I am sitting on the couch, waiting for the cast and crew to arrive (though Brigitte Hagerman is here thirty minutes early! what a pro!).
One hold-up?
It's fucking raining!
WHAT THE FUCK?
We moved to this town to avoid rainy, cold shoots. Yet, both weekends we've shot, we've been stuck with rain. You can take the New Yorker out of New York...
Some cover sets are planned in case this rain doesn't let up and we can't get all of the outdoor stuff we've planned.
Wish us luck.
We also had our first indoor location - ComicSmash! on Ventura Boulevard! This provided us with a beautiful location that distracted us to no end because of the toys, comics and statues that were calling our names. Check out this brief video...
Right now, however, I am sitting on the couch, waiting for the cast and crew to arrive (though Brigitte Hagerman is here thirty minutes early! what a pro!).
One hold-up?
It's fucking raining!
WHAT THE FUCK?
We moved to this town to avoid rainy, cold shoots. Yet, both weekends we've shot, we've been stuck with rain. You can take the New Yorker out of New York...
Some cover sets are planned in case this rain doesn't let up and we can't get all of the outdoor stuff we've planned.
Wish us luck.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hofstra Factor
In this video, Hofstra University alumni Kirsten Scoles and Ritchie Filippi talk about the high amount of Hofstra graduates on set.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Cheryl, Blue Screen, Revenge
Here, Cheryl Texiera describes the blue screen going up behind her for a very important moment in our new webseries - "My Future Girlfriend."
Because I surprised Cheryl with a very close FlipCam video, she decided she would exact revenge by turning the camera on me. She taught me a very important lesson in FlipCam manners that day...
Because I surprised Cheryl with a very close FlipCam video, she decided she would exact revenge by turning the camera on me. She taught me a very important lesson in FlipCam manners that day...
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
shooting day 1!
All I can say is - Incredible first day - Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a dozen cast and crew. They will all be named shortly. But let's start with breakfast.
Brian, Patrick and I went out last night to pick up breakfast and snacks for everyone, as our call time was 7AM. Since this is only our first shoot, and we're still New Yorkers at heart, we figured we'd stick with tradition and pick up bagels and cream cheese. What did we find out?
Finding bagels in Los Angeles is like finding the Covenant of the Ark.
We started at Ralph's, the classiest supermarket in town, and walked straight to their bakery. Lined up on a table were an army of pre-packaged bags of bagels. The problem? They were hard as hockey pucks. Not wanting to damage the teeth of our actors, we decided to move on. So, we drove to nearby Yum Yum Donuts. It was around 10:30 PM at this point. We approached the man at the counter and asked, "Can we have a dozen and a half bagels?" He said, "Sure!" Then he looked two feet to his left and said, "Oh, we don't have bagels." We asked, "When will you have bagels?" He said, "Oh, in the morning." We asked, "You'll have bagels in the morning?" He said, "Yes. Everything." We asked, "So we can come here at 6AM and get bagels?" He said, "Oh no. Not 6AM." This 'Who's on First?' conversation went on for about five minutes. Finally, we settled on playing our chances in the morning. At 6:30AM, I drove to Yum Yum, walked in and said, "Can I have a dozen and a half bagels?" The new person behind the counter asked, "Oh, you ordered already, right?" I said, "Yes." And walked out with a box of bagels. Mission accomplished, even if I sort of maybe stole someone else's order.
But this wasn't the only touch of New York in our morning. See, for the first time in months, it rained heavily in Los Angeles. While we're lucky we didn't schedule exteriors, it couldn't help but feel like a good New York-y omen.
Actors and crew arrived at 7AM, and around 8:30AM we set up our first shot. Brian and I watched on the monitor, while Angel shot this behind-the-scenes video with this HD flipcam, an early Christmas present from my brother. Thank you George! Enjoy the following video...
We had a full crew on this one and some toys we've never really utilized before. Since "My Future Girlfriend" is a very cinematic webseries, inspired by movies like "The Terminator" and "Back to the Future," we all wanted to step up our game. Enter Jeff Billings, legendary young cinematographer from our college, who is bringing that feel in spades.
While our apartment is now much bigger than the "We Need Girlfriends" apartment, we still were occasionally crammed in tight spaces when shooting, due to a larger crew and more equipment. Take, for example, where Brian had to sit to watch the monitor...
Shooting progressed nicely throughout the day. Brian did a fantastic job directing. And later on during the day, we had a special guest. Tom Holland, director of "Child's Play," "Thinner," and, one of my favorite movies of all time, "Fright Night." He came with our pal Rob G, hung out, watched a couple of scenes and threw some words of encouragement our way. Great to have him on set.
Everything seemed to moving along without a hitch! Until, something ALMOST went wrong. From a distance, we all watched in horror as one of the big, heavy lights was headed straight for the head of our old pal Ritchie Filippi, assistant director, and a staple of Ragtag Productions' past shoots. As the heavy light rapidly descended towards his head, we saw a hand leap out and grab the stand, as it was mere centimeters from Ritchie's head.
That hand?
Belonged to Matt Hall - boom mic operator and younger brother of our old friend Chris Hall. Here is video of the aftermath.
Thank you Matt!
All in all, an incredible day. Big thanks to the actors - Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera and Kirsten Scoles. Big thanks to the crew, cinematographer Jeff Billings, Ritchie Filippi, Chris Hall, Matt Hall, Jason Krangel, Mike Barnwell, Natascha Jones, Angel Acevedo - and - of course - fellow producers Brian Amyot and Patrick Cohen. Well done all!
Back to the grind tomorrow morning at 7AM! Expect more posts.
Brian, Patrick and I went out last night to pick up breakfast and snacks for everyone, as our call time was 7AM. Since this is only our first shoot, and we're still New Yorkers at heart, we figured we'd stick with tradition and pick up bagels and cream cheese. What did we find out?
Finding bagels in Los Angeles is like finding the Covenant of the Ark.
We started at Ralph's, the classiest supermarket in town, and walked straight to their bakery. Lined up on a table were an army of pre-packaged bags of bagels. The problem? They were hard as hockey pucks. Not wanting to damage the teeth of our actors, we decided to move on. So, we drove to nearby Yum Yum Donuts. It was around 10:30 PM at this point. We approached the man at the counter and asked, "Can we have a dozen and a half bagels?" He said, "Sure!" Then he looked two feet to his left and said, "Oh, we don't have bagels." We asked, "When will you have bagels?" He said, "Oh, in the morning." We asked, "You'll have bagels in the morning?" He said, "Yes. Everything." We asked, "So we can come here at 6AM and get bagels?" He said, "Oh no. Not 6AM." This 'Who's on First?' conversation went on for about five minutes. Finally, we settled on playing our chances in the morning. At 6:30AM, I drove to Yum Yum, walked in and said, "Can I have a dozen and a half bagels?" The new person behind the counter asked, "Oh, you ordered already, right?" I said, "Yes." And walked out with a box of bagels. Mission accomplished, even if I sort of maybe stole someone else's order.
But this wasn't the only touch of New York in our morning. See, for the first time in months, it rained heavily in Los Angeles. While we're lucky we didn't schedule exteriors, it couldn't help but feel like a good New York-y omen.
Actors and crew arrived at 7AM, and around 8:30AM we set up our first shot. Brian and I watched on the monitor, while Angel shot this behind-the-scenes video with this HD flipcam, an early Christmas present from my brother. Thank you George! Enjoy the following video...
We had a full crew on this one and some toys we've never really utilized before. Since "My Future Girlfriend" is a very cinematic webseries, inspired by movies like "The Terminator" and "Back to the Future," we all wanted to step up our game. Enter Jeff Billings, legendary young cinematographer from our college, who is bringing that feel in spades.
While our apartment is now much bigger than the "We Need Girlfriends" apartment, we still were occasionally crammed in tight spaces when shooting, due to a larger crew and more equipment. Take, for example, where Brian had to sit to watch the monitor...
Shooting progressed nicely throughout the day. Brian did a fantastic job directing. And later on during the day, we had a special guest. Tom Holland, director of "Child's Play," "Thinner," and, one of my favorite movies of all time, "Fright Night." He came with our pal Rob G, hung out, watched a couple of scenes and threw some words of encouragement our way. Great to have him on set.
Everything seemed to moving along without a hitch! Until, something ALMOST went wrong. From a distance, we all watched in horror as one of the big, heavy lights was headed straight for the head of our old pal Ritchie Filippi, assistant director, and a staple of Ragtag Productions' past shoots. As the heavy light rapidly descended towards his head, we saw a hand leap out and grab the stand, as it was mere centimeters from Ritchie's head.
That hand?
Belonged to Matt Hall - boom mic operator and younger brother of our old friend Chris Hall. Here is video of the aftermath.
Thank you Matt!
All in all, an incredible day. Big thanks to the actors - Evan Gaustad, Cheryl Texiera and Kirsten Scoles. Big thanks to the crew, cinematographer Jeff Billings, Ritchie Filippi, Chris Hall, Matt Hall, Jason Krangel, Mike Barnwell, Natascha Jones, Angel Acevedo - and - of course - fellow producers Brian Amyot and Patrick Cohen. Well done all!
Back to the grind tomorrow morning at 7AM! Expect more posts.
it has begun...
Stay tuned tonight for photos, videos and stories!
"You're like Jon Favreau!" - Chris Hall
Monday, December 7, 2009
Vintage Ragtag
While trolling the internet today, I came upon this little behind-the-scenes promo reel from about 2005 that gives a nice peek into the early days of Ragtag, pre-"We Need Girlfriends." It's produced by our friend J Hanna, and gives you a real look into not only our process, but how Brian and I have changed our looks through the years. Fun stuff!
The Prep Work Begins...
We start shooting "My Future Girlfriend" this Saturday, December 12th, and have been having a bunch of pre-production meetings building up to the big first day. Last night, Patrick and I worked on a prop that may or may not be a big deal in the "My Future Girlfriend" universe...
What does it all mean?
Stay tuned for more posts as we start shooting...
What does it all mean?
Stay tuned for more posts as we start shooting...
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